Bella Thorne claims Freeform called her ‘ugly,’ viewed her as ‘uncontrollable and crazy’
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Bella Thorne is alleging TV network Freeform called her ugly before they canceled her series “Famous in Love” after two seasons.
The former Disney child star claimed to the Los Angeles Times Friday that executives at Freeform bullied her.
“It’s coming out of my mouth and I know you’re going to print it,” said the 21-year-old. “But it was, there were some things, there were some comments made that — I don’t know. I’m trying to find a way around it. One issue is when you have a girl, a young girl who is on your show, you can’t tell her that she’s ugly or she’s fat or she’s this or she’s that because that’s going to make her feel bad.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}When Los Angeles Times writer Amy Kaufman asked Thorne who called her ugly, the actress responded, “The network.”
“In emails, and there was another thing that was in front of everyone on set,” she alleged. “After, the cast was texting me, ‘Oh, my God, Bella. I am so sorry. That was so awkward. I feel so bad. Do you want me to come over to your room?’ ‘Oh, my God, I can’t believe they did that.’ It was all supposed to change on Season 2, and it didn’t.”
Thorne went on to claim that Freeform viewed her as “uncontrollable and crazy” and believed the network called her “a diva” because she would speak out publicly.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“They were scared I was going to go running my mouth if I was upset,” said Thorne. “[About] feminist issues, other things, bullying.”
A rep for Freeform did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.
While Thorne was filming the series, rumors insisted she and showrunner I. Marlene King feuded. However, both denied there was any fighting between them.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}King herself tweeted that she and Thorne “have, and have always had, a friendly and professional relationship.”
“Famous in Love” told the story of college student Paige (Thorne) who gets her big break after auditioning for the starring role in a Hollywood blockbuster.
Variety reported in June the series was canceled just weeks after the network also gave the fellow Freeform series “Shadowhunters” the ax.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“We are proud to have had the opportunity to air ‘Famous in Love,’” said Freeform in a statement. “After many discussions, we have made the difficult decision not to renew the show for a third season. We want to thank our colleagues at Warner Horizon and our incredible producers, writers, cast and crew, especially Marlene King, for their creativity, hard work and dedication.”
The industry site added “Famous in Love” was one of Freeform's lower-rated original shows, with Season 2 “averaging a 0.1 rating in adults 18-49 and 254,000 viewers per episode.”
Thorne skyrocketed to fame as a child actress for appearing in Disney’s “Shake It Up” from 2010 until 2013. The show explored how a pair of adolescents balanced school with jobs as backup dancers.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Los Angeles Times revealed since “Shake It Up” came to an end, Thorne has been attempting to figure out the right roles suited her for as an adult. She’s appearing in four films this fall.